In the Saturday, January 28 episode of “Drinks Champions” the creators of the New York-based “My Expert Opinion” podcast dropped by to discuss their most controversial interviews, face-offs with rappers, the need for more female guests, and more.
For a fresh and interesting take on everything from fight rap and politics to sports, hip hop and current affairs, Math Hoffa launched “My Expert Opinion” in 2019. Joined by co-hosts Michael Smith- Baker, Mecc Rashawn and Sean Bigga, listeners can expect to be entertained and enlightened by Math’s anecdotes and those shared by a rotating cast of distinguished guests. So far they have brought important names like method man21 Savage, Fat Joe and Derrick Rose, to name a few.
Shot in a barbershop, “My Expert Opinion” takes the phrase “barbershop conversations” to new heights. Most recently, Hoffa had special guest Troy Ave to address rumors and talk about his career as an independent artist, followed by Earn your leisure crew, who spilled some gems on generational wealth and more. With ambitions to make the brand a bigger platform, the podcast has quickly risen to the top of the charts with more in store for 2023.
For this week’s “Drink Champs” recap, REVOLT has compiled a list of nine facts we learned from the “My Expert Opinion” interview. Check them out below and watch the full episode here if you missed it.
1. Chez Reek Da Villian “My expert opinion” appearance
In 2010, Busta Rhymes signed Long Island rapper Reek Da Villian to The Conglomerate. Several years later, the two fell out after the Kendrick Lamar-assisted single “Go Off” was leaked online by Reek. Referencing his long relationship with Busta, NORE asked Mecc to have Reek on the podcast despite his past issues with the “Calm Down” artist.
“Me, working with someone I respect over their personal relationship are two totally separate things. How many people has your man had sex with that you haven’t had sex with? Dude asked. Even though NORE disagreed, Mecc replied, “I worked with Bust when he was dealing with Reek, so I don’t know what their business relationship was. I don’t know what their personal relationship was. This man’s truth is this man’s truth.
2. After receiving criticism for controversial interviews with Troy Ave and Self Service
Controversial moments are no mystery to NORE and DJ EFN, and the same can be said for the guys from “My Expert Opinion”. At the start of the interview, Math Hoffa admitted to deleting various parts of several conversations to completely avoid controversy and backlash. He cited several examples, including Self Service’s claims that Irv Gotti stole the beats from DMX and Troy Ave talking about filming the Taxstone concert.
“Besides Troy s**t, it was that situation with Busta. Shout out to Self Service. He told a story about Just Blaze getting slapped, and I got a bunch of phone calls about it,” Math said. “My thing is that an uncontrolled lie becomes the truth. I’m not saying anyone came onto my platform lying. I say the same way that person came to the store and told their story, you can tell your story too.
3. On Kanye West’s infamous “Drink Champs” interview being taken down
Due to the backlash of Kanye West’s statements after The death of George Floyd, “Drink Champs” quickly deleted their interview with them. Although the interview garnered over 2 million views in less than 24 hours, it has since been removed from the podcast’s YouTube account and REVOLT website. After Math Hoffa reversed the interviewer-guest roles on NORE and EFN, the pair claimed that it was actually Ye who requested that he be removed.
When Math said they should have held the interview, NORE replied, “That was tough, man. I have to stick with it because it was actually [Kanye] who requested that it be removed. DJ EFN added: “We were between a rock and a hard place. REVOLT stood by our side and they said, “Either it stays up or it goes down.” So we had one of two choices.
4. On “Drink Champs”, a partnership with Warner Music Group
Earlier this year, NORE and DJ EFN announced that they would take their career to the next level after signing a distribution partnership with Warner Music Group. The audio version of the podcast is now exclusively licensed to WMG’s in-house podcast network, Interval Presents, for streaming on all major platforms. NORE briefly discussed his latest contract after asking the “My Expert Opinion” team if they would sign with a major or stay independent.
“It was one of our big moves. We partnered with good people and they [showed] us that they wanted us, if you know what I mean,” NORE revealed. When Mecc asked him how much control they had to give up in exchange, he replied, “None.”
5. On Styles P challenging J-Hood’s “My Expert Opinion” interview
Towards the end of 2022, J-Hood stopped by “My Expert Opinion” to discuss his business deal with D-Block. Hood claimed that he and his mother lost their home to a fire and that he used the $25,000 advance from The LOX to deal with what’s next. Hood thinks Styles P, Jadakiss and Sheek Louch might have been hiding money from him since label executives allegedly informed him that they had in fact given him $60,000. So, Styles took to Instagram Live to set the record straight, which Math discussed midway through the “Drink Champs” interview.
According to Math, “I have no control over what these people say. I can’t say “That’s a lie!” And discreet, I get out of the shit. If I feel like it’s going to be a problem, I take the shit out.
6. The passing of Gangsta Boo and Takeoff
While sharing with “MEO” the ups and downs of podcasting, NORE called for a moment of silence for Gangsta Boo and Takeoff, who both gave their final interviews to “Drink Champs” before passing away. Takeoff was tragically shot down and killed in November while witnessing an argument in Houston, and Boo died outside her home in Memphis.
“We don’t want to be the last person to interview anyone, but when she died, when Takeoff died, people kept coming to our interview. It was just like, ‘Shit.’ It was an honor. That’s why you should never listen directly to the internet or directly to the rhetoric that’s going on,” NORE explained. “The week before, they criticized us and said, ‘Drink Champs’ is for legends; Migos are not legends. And then, unfortunately, his disappearance. The next week after that, they were like, “I’m so glad you got to give them their flowers.”
7. On Sean Bigga vs. Smif-N-Wessun
In November, Tek and Smif-N-Wessun’s General Steele clashed with Sean Bigga during their interview on “My Expert Opinion.” When Bigga called out the band traitors for siding with Pac when emotions were already running high between the West and East Coasts, things quickly escalated. Bigga’s argument was that Pac offended New York rap fans and that it wouldn’t be fair for them to collaborate with him. As for the topic, Bigga went deeper into the situation from the perspective of an OG hip hop fan.
“We had pain in New York. We were. I know people say he was talking directly about Biggie, but me and my guys didn’t hear it that way. It was crisp and clear like you came straight to New York,” Bigga said.
8. On maintaining Mecc’s relationships and integrity as a journalist
Among the entire “My Expert Opinion” team, NORE acknowledged that Mecc is the only one with a professional background in journalism. The former editor spent 12 years at Source in the early 2000s, interviewing people like Capone-N-Noreaga and others. That said, Mecc offered his thoughts on maintaining his journalistic integrity while interviewing various artists and celebrities on the podcast.
As Mecc said, “It’s not a difficult thing. I learned early on that work is work. It’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s about the person who picks up the magazine and decides they want to know more about that person’s life. My job is to paint that picture, make it as honest as possible, and make it entertaining.
9. Not believing Megan Thee Stallion during the Tory Lanez assault case
In December, Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Although the trial took some crazy turns, including Meg’s ex-friend Kelsey Harris asking the immunity, the Canadian rapper was ultimately convicted of recklessly discharging a handgun. , assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded and unlicensed firearm by a jury in Los Angeles. Kinda like 50 Cent did during his interview with BigBoyTV, Math took the time to apologize to Meg after overhearing Tory’s infamous phone conversation with Harris.
“I want to apologize to [Megan Thee Stallion] also because I saw 50 [Cent] apologize,” explained Math. “We didn’t believe her. We didn’t believe her, brother. We didn’t believe her. She definitely needed more people. Well, she didn’t really need more people. We just needed to hear this conversation about prison.
“As black men, we are supposed to protect our women. I feel like I failed in that category…when it comes to the things I said on our podcast,” he went on to admit.